Any question answered...

Where can I pick up some compression straps in London, today?

Like this:

http://www.webbingbucklesstraps.co.uk/product.php/381___strap_with_ladder_lock/?k=:::4072665

Dom
almost any camping shop. Cotswold, Millets etc

Probably any camping shop indeed. Or ask in Touring Equipment thread.

Shops near me are Ellis Brigham, Cotswold, and Blacks. Neither had anything. Will post in Touring Equipment thread too.

Cheers.

Best size/make of rim tape for Archetypes?

FUCKING FUCK FUCK FLYING FUCK.

Just took my TT bike to the lbs. I knew I'd bent the mech hanger in my last race so I asked them to replace that as well as fitting a load of new stuff and generally making the bike like new. It turns out Cervelo don't do replaceable hangers on the P2 and that the whole thing is fucked. Bent hanger and the dropout has been splayed open and may have become unbonded.

Fucking fuck fuck.

Torm?

Thanks for the reccomendation. I should have mentioned that it needs to not have wool in it because I'm a vegan hippy prick.

Sorry, I guess that's not a question...

LBS will call Cervelo to see how much it will cost to send away and repair. Does anyone have any experience of this, what it is likely to cost and whether it's worth it?

Ewan- I've not used these guys myself, but I everyone I know who has done has been very happy, worth giving them a shout I would think: http://www.carbonbikerepair.co.uk/

Shops near me are Ellis Brigham, Cotswold, and Blacks. Neither had anything. Will post in Touring Equipment thread too.

Cheers.

It's not helpful but when I went looking for some about a year ago none of the better known central London ones stocked them - much to my surprise. The one that did have them was a small independent which has subsequently closed.

Good luck

For assembling a steel frame and mostly-carbon fork (crown is metal) with headset and crown race, should I use lithium grease, carbon paste, both or other?

Just a light machine oil for press fitting

Thanks, getting wildly confused with people saying carbon and grease are a bad idea etc.

Ewan- I've not used these guys myself, but I everyone I know who has done has been very happy, worth giving them a shout I would think: http://www.carbonbikerepair.co.uk/

Thanks Dammit, just called them and although I didn't speak to one of their experts, the lady manning the phone was very helpful and her guestimate costs of repair were pleasingly lower than I had expected.

The LBS are supposed to be contacting Cervelo so we'll see what they say and then we'll go from there.

I know it's a subjective question, but...

Is there actually a comfort advantage to carbon seatposts?

A 3T Doric Pro can be had from CRC for £20. A carbon version is £70+.

It will be going in an aluminium frame and as it's my first time with alu I'd like to offset any potential harshness, but I'm not bothered about weight and £50 is a big difference.

It needs to be a 27.2mm post which I understand are inherently more flexible (and therefore comfier) than wider posts.

Go a couple of mms wider on your tire choice.

Is their a less pricey similar product to the Rapha Essentials Case?

A plastic sandwich bag?

Go to town and get one with zip lock and it's probably more waterproof than the rapha variety...

Something a little more robust than that, preferably.

http://store.americanapparel.net/small-items_cat33265

Don't actually know if they sell these in the UK, I have one but I got it from their LA outlet for $2 or something.

Go a couple of mms wider on your tire choice.

Thanks, this seems to be the internet consensus but interested if anyone disagrees/has any other thoughts.

I know it's a subjective question, but...

Is there actually a comfort advantage to carbon seatposts?

A 3T Doric Pro can be had from CRC for £20. A carbon version is £70+.

It will be going in an aluminium frame and as it's my first time with alu I'd like to offset any potential harshness, but I'm not bothered about weight and £50 is a big difference.

It needs to be a 27.2mm post which I understand are inherently more flexible (and therefore comfier) than wider posts.

Can depend on the exact post IME. I find Thomsons to be noticeably stiffer than some other alu posts (e.g. I swapped a Nitto S65 for an Elite on a steel frame and the difference was immediately obvious). Will also depend on how much post is showing - I swapped a Thomson out for a carbon post on my alu/crabon road bike and I can't say I noticed any difference, but it has a horizontal TT and not much post showing compared to a compact road frame.

Basically, saddle and tyres (and tyre pressure) will certainly make a much greater difference, especially if the carbon post is not designed specifically with 'comfort' features (i.e., designed to bend more than a regular post).

Something a little more robust than that, preferably.

They were cheap at the sample sales a few years ago. I have one that I could be tempted to part with. Let me dig it out after the house move.

FUCKING FUCK FUCK FLYING FUCK.

Just took my TT bike to the lbs. I knew I'd bent the mech hanger in my last race so I asked them to replace that as well as fitting a load of new stuff and generally making the bike like new. It turns out Cervelo don't do replaceable hangers on the P2 and that the whole thing is fucked. Bent hanger and the dropout has been splayed open and may have become unbonded.

Fucking fuck fuck.

My brother had pretty much the exact same situation on his P2, in that the hanger was bent but the dropouts were fine. He has no idea when the hanger bent, which is a bit concerning.

His LBS suggested two options: get a replacement from Cervelo on their crash replacement scheme, or see if they could bend the hanger back into place - potentially shearing the whole thing off (so then he'd have to use the crash replacement scheme), but hopefully fixing the problem. I have to admit I was pretty sceptical about being able to bend it back and then have any confidence in it but the LBS managed it and my brother is happy.

I can't recall which his LBS is but it's somewhere central, I can find out if you like and also what it cost him?

Sorted

^ In principle "yes", but that build can go straight to anti-porn >>>>>>>>

In my case, I know what chewed the mech hanger. I was climbing Howe Hill out of Watlington during a race and about halfway up the climb my chain jammed in my rear derailleur causing all sorts of unhappiness. The HCC007 hill climb was on the same morning and I'd recognised a couple of supporters at the top of the climb so I had to run the hill pushing my bike to get to them. When we tried to fix it, the entire chain/derailleur/cassette was twisted together and it was the devils own job to sort it out. When we got everything untangled I found that the chain had half split, which had presumably caused it to get stuck. Apparently this kind of problem isn't uncommon but isn't covered by the warranty as in 99% of cases it's caused by user error when installing the chain or RD.

I wondered about using it fixed but according to the lbs the alu dropout has apparently also been bent open a bit and has come unbounded from the frame so I doubt that's an option.

I'm not sure how much money you get off via the Cervelo crash replacement scheme, and whether it's like for like or whether I'd be able to go for a new P2 or even P3 but even with a discount it's still a lot of money (especially since I just spent my entire bike budget on a power meter!).

Humph.

Seriously... why no replaceable hanger!?!!?

I can only sympathise: a whole frame trashed for the want of a replaceable hanger.

Fu...